Penn Yan names Dennis superintendent

Jan 20, 2015 at 11:38 pm by Observer-Review


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Penn Yan names Dennis superintendent

PENN YAN--The Penn Yan Central School District board of education (BOE) named Howard Dennis to the superintendent position during their meeting Wednesday, Jan. 14. Dennis has been serving as the interim superintendent, filling in after former superintendent David Hamilton left the district in June of last year.
"I plan to continue the work that we have begun here in the district," Dennis said. "We have an overall goal of becoming a leader in the region. We have met that goal in some areas while we still have work to do in others. Staff are continuing to work on raising student achievement in all areas while balancing limited resources and increased standards. Making our students successful once they leave us is the ultimate goal."
Dennis has been in the Penn Yan Central School District since 1994, adding he began his career in education in 1992. Dennis said he was the only candidate looked at to fill the position, adding the BOE used a review system to look at his work while serving in the interim capacity, judging it against a set of criteria and expectations. He attributes the students as being his favorite part about his job, adding he enjoys being able to make a positive impact on their education.
"The students and staff are my favorite parts of this district," Dennis said. "We have some of the best students that any district could ask for. The students never cease to amaze me in their abilities and actions. I am also always very impressed with our staff and the amount of opportunities they offer our students. They are always going above and beyond in their actions and it amazes me the amount of dedication they show."
Dennis said like all districts, he is working to adjust Penn Yan's system to "meet the needs of an ever changing society." He said he will continue to work with staff on reviewing and revamping programming from Pre-K to 12th grade to meet the needs of students in future endeavors. Dennis added the most difficult aspect about his job involves discipline.
"Dealing with students that have made poor choices, and addressing staff discipline are two areas that are not my favorite," Dennis said. "Like most teachers I got into education to help students and these actions seem far away from that goal."
Dennis also added the school district will still try to serve both the students and the taxpayers, adding this is one of their main challenges going forward.
"Continuing to balance the needs of our students with being fiscally responsible to our tax payers will be a challenge in the future," Dennis said. "Some of our students come to us with greater needs every year. Trying to meet those needs and balance the budget is a tough situation sometimes."

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